'Bank won't be run only by Chinese': Beijing vows to take global approach in recruiting talent for AIIB
Former senior financial official says Beijing does not want bank to be filled with Chinese officials
China will take an international approach to recruiting talent for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and has no wish to restrict its hiring to Chinese officials, a former senior Chinese financial official said.
Many of the key positions of the Beijing-led bank would be filled through a global search, Cai Esheng, a former vice-chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, told the South China Morning Post.
"China has sufficient pools of talent to run the institute," said Cai, who now heads an organisation of developing countries. "The AIIB is an open institute, and therefore, its source of officials will also be open. It will not be run only by Chinese officials."
His remarks came amid heightened speculation on who would become the first president of the bank. Jin Liqun , a former deputy finance minister, is widely tipped to take up the top post when the bank is launched around the end of this year.
Observers and analysts from Chinese government-backed think tanks said the first head of the bank would be from China, and described Jin as a highly skilled troubleshooter willing to face problems.
Jin, currently the secretary-general of the AIIB's interim secretariat, served in the Japanese-led Asian Development Bank as vice-president between 2003 and 2008. He oversaw operations in South Asia and the Mekong region, including Cambodia and Myanmar.